On This Day: 21 May

21 May in Indian history

• 1991Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.India
• 1758Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.India

21 May in world history

• 2024The Greenfield tornado, estimated to have produced winds in excess of 309 miles per hour (497 km/h), moved across Iowa.
• 2005The world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, U.S.
• 1979White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
• 1972Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
• 1961American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out.
• 1951The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
• 1946While working with a mass of plutonium known as the demon core, Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin accidentally exposed himself to a lethal dose of hard radiation, making him the second victim of a criticality accident in history.
• 1939The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
• 1894The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams.
• 1871Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi.
• 1864American Civil War: The inconclusive Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia ended with combined Union and Confederate casualties totaling around 31,000.
• 1864Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning.
• 1792A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that killed nearly 15,000 people.
• 1703English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet that was perceived to satirise the Tory publications about Dissenters.
• 1138The Crusades: The siege of Shaizar ended, and the Emir of Shaizar became a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.
• 878Arab–Byzantine wars: The city of Syracuse was captured by the Aghlabids as part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily.

Born on 21 May

• 1963Patrick Grant, American musician and producer
• 1960Mohanlal, Indian actorIndia
• 1958Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designerIndia
• 1915Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (died 2003)India
• 1913Gina Bachauer, Greek pianist and composer (died 1976)
• 1880Tudor Arghezi, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (died 1967)

Died on 21 May

• 2025Gerry Connolly, American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district (born 1950)
• 1991Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (born 1944)India
• 1935Jane Addams, American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1860)
• 1858José de la Riva Agüero, Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (born 1783)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 May in history?

2024: The Greenfield tornado, estimated to have produced winds in excess of 309 miles per hour (497 km/h), moved across Iowa. 2005: The world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, U.S. 1991: Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. 1979: White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.

What happened on 21 May in Indian history?

1991: Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. 1758: Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later.

Which famous people were born on 21 May?

Patrick Grant, American musician and producer (1963); Mohanlal, Indian actor (1960); Naeem Khan, Indian-American fashion designer (1958); Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, Indian Civil Service Officer and former Under Secretary-General of the UN (died 2003) (1915).

Which day is observed on 21 May?

Anti-Terrorism Day; Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia); Circassian Day of Mourning (Circassians); Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary); Independence Day, celebrates the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, celebrated until the next day. (Montenegro).